Written Answers Wednesday 25 February 2009

Scottish Executive

Ambulance Service

Jackson Carlaw (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many days were lost in the Scottish Ambulance Service through sickness absence in each year since 1999, broken down by division.

Nicola Sturgeon: To ensure comparability of data the Scottish Ambulance Service record sickness absence rates as a percentage which allows benchmarking against other health boards. Sickness absence information is based on hours lost to take account of part-time workers whose standard day is different to a whole-time worker’s standard day.

  The following table shows sickness absence figures from 2002 onwards. This information is not available from 1999-2001.

  

 2002-03
 5.7%


 2003-04
 5.4%


 2004-05
 5.9%


 2005-06
 5.5%


 2006-07
 5.6%


 2007-08
 5.8%


 2008-09
5.3% (to end January 2009)



  Scottish Ambulance Service are currently working towards a target of 5% absence rate by 31 March 2009.

Central Heating

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with suppliers of liquid petroleum gas (LPG) to ensure that people who rely on it for heating are not disproportionately disadvantaged by rising costs.

Alex Neil: The Scottish Government is aware of the significant additional burden that high fuel prices have on those living and working in many rural parts of Scotland, especially as Scotland has a large proportion of people who are off the gas grid and rely on other sources of fuel for heating.

  Following the recent Petition PE1181 to the Parliament from the Western Isles Council, the Scottish Government is disappointed by the refusal by the Chancellor of the Exchequer to investigate options to reduce the fuel price differential between remote rural and island communities and urban areas in Scotland, and in particular, the possible application for an EU derogation to set a lower rate of fuel duty in designated "remote" areas. However, the Scottish Government will continue to make representations to the UK Government on this issue.

  As fuel duty is a reserved issue, responsibility for market regulation rests with the UK Government. Scottish Government officials are however, due to shortly meet with trade bodies and suppliers to discuss the issue of recent price rises in LPG and Heating Oil.

Central Heating

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what support it is making available to people who rely on liquid petroleum gas (LPG) for heating.

Alex Neil: The Scottish Government is aware of the significant additional burden that high fuel prices in general have on those living and working in many rural parts of Scotland.

  As fuel duty is a reserved issue, responsibility for this matter rests with the UK Government. However, the Scottish Government has made a number of representations to the UK Government on the issue recently and will continue to do so.

  In addition, Scottish Government officials are due to shortly meet with trade bodies and suppliers to discuss the impact of recent price rises in LPG and Heating Oil.

  In terms of current assistance, to help households and small businesses we fund the Energy Saving Scotland advice network to advice on alternative fuel supplies, including renewable technologies, and on measures to improve the energy efficiency of their homes or premises, saving energy, carbon and money.

  Depending on personal circumstances and the energy efficiency levels of homes, people may benefit from elements of the Energy Assistance Package, commencing in April 2009, which replaces the Central Heating and Warm Deal Programmes. This package will improve on the existing fuel poverty programmes by reaching more people and providing a wider range of support in one integrated package, and will begin to tackle rural fuel poverty more efficiently. The new package will help increase incomes, reduce fuel bills and improve the energy efficiency of homes.

Crime

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to hold a summit similar to the crime prevention summit held by the Home Secretary on 4 February 2009 aimed at reducing acquisitive crime in the current economic downturn.

Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government is aware of the potential impact on crime of the current economic situation and that is why we are working with all the key partners including Association of Chief Police Officers Scotland (ACPOS) and the Scottish Business Crime Centre (SBCC) to ensure there is an integrated approach to crime prevention and community safety.

  We have no plans to hold a summit, however, the National Community Safety Strategic Group (NCSSG), which is chaired by the Minister for Community Safety and brings together partners such as COSLA, ACPOS, Chief Fire Officers Association (Scotland), Violence Reduction Unit, and Scottish Community Safety Network (SCSN) focuses on crime prevention as a key issues for its joint work. This Group discussed the response to the economic downturn in December 2008 and will do so again at its next meeting in March. In terms of wider discussions, Scottish Government officials met Home Office colleagues on 26 February 2009 to discuss a range of issues including crime prevention and this will be fed back to the NCSSG for their consideration. We will respond directly to the views expressed by the NCSSG so that if there is consensus that more needs to be done then we will act.

  There is however already activity underway with recent events such as Risky Business, a conference organised by the SBCC and Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency, seeking to highlight some of the emerging threats and recommend practical action. We have already agreed with ACPOS and other partners to develop a crime prevention information resource for practitioners and the public, and that again will provide clear, direct advice to householders and others on how to take practical steps to protect themselves and their property. The first stage of this was published by the SBCC in December and we expect the remainder to be available in summer 2009.

Crime

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, given that previous economic downturns have seen an increase in acquisitive crime, whether it plans any new initiatives to increase personal security, particularly for vulnerable people.

Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government is aware of the potential impact on crime of the current economic situation and that is why we are working with all the key partners including Association of Chief Police Officers Scotland (ACPOS) and the Scottish Business Crime Centre (SBCC) to ensure there is an integrated approach to crime prevention and community safety.

  There is already activity underway with recent events such as Risky Business, a conference organised by the SBCC and Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency, seeking to highlight some of the emerging threats and recommend practical action. We have already agreed with ACPOS and other partners to develop a crime prevention information resource for practitioners and the public, and that again will provide clear, direct advice to householders and others on how to take practical steps to protect themselves and their property. The first stage of this was published by the SBCC in December and we expect the remainder to be available in summer 2009. We will ensure this resource meets the needs of vulnerable people.

Crime

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the Safer Street project launched by Norwich Union and Norfolk Police and whether it plans to run any similar projects.

Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government is aware of the potential impact on crime of the current economic situation and that is why we are working with all the key partners including Association of Chief Police Officers Scotland (ACPOS) and the Scottish Business Crime Centre (SBCC) to ensure there is an integrated approach to crime prevention and community safety.

  We have already agreed with ACPOS and other partners to develop a crime prevention information resource for practitioners and the public that will provide clear, direct advice to householders and others on how to take practical steps to protect themselves and their property. The first stage of this was published by the SBCC in December and we expect the remainder to be available in summer 2009.

  As part of this joint-working we will of course consider good practice from local, national and international sources.

Crime

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what new initiatives it is undertaking to highlight the simple and inexpensive steps that homeowners can take to reduce the risks of acquisitive crime.

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what information and advice it provides on home security and whether it plans to develop or expand this in light of the current economic downturn.

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to help homeowners assess the safety of their homes.

Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government is aware of the potential impact on crime of the current economic situation and that is why we are working with all the key partners including Association of Chief Police Officers Scotland (ACPOS) and the Scottish Business Crime Centre (SBCC) to ensure there is an integrated approach to crime prevention and community safety.

  We have already agreed with ACPOS and other partners to develop a crime prevention information resource for practitioners and the public that will provide clear, direct advice to householders and others on how to take practical steps to protect themselves and their property. The first stage of this was published by the SBCC in December and we expect the remainder to be available in summer 2009.

Health

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken to build on the work of the Joint Premises Project Board.

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken to ensure that NHS bodies and local authorities can work together more strategically to develop the public sector estate, as recommended in the Audit Scotland report, Asset management in the NHS in Scotland .

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to remove the barriers to joint asset development identified in the Audit Scotland report, Asset management in the NHS in Scotland .

Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government is supporting the development of the "hub initiative" which was developed following consideration of possible joint venture models by the Joint Premises Project Board (JPPB) and which is seeking to address many of the issues identified by the JPPB as creating barriers to developing joint premises. The hub initiative is being taken forward by the Scottish Futures Trust with two pathfinders in the "South East" and "North of Scotland" in development and preparing for procurement.

  The Scottish Government are also supporting the procurement of a national estate management system, the dataset for which is consistent with the joint dataset for NHSScotland and local authorities developed through the Joint Premises Project Board.

Health

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will promote policies and guidance for all types of assets in the NHS and update its current policies and guidance to reflect changes in the NHS and the development of new health policies.

Nicola Sturgeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-20499 on 23 February 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx .

Health

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will establish procedures for NHS bodies to work with community health partnerships to gather data on the facilities used by GPs, dentists, pharmacists and opticians.

Nicola Sturgeon: Yes. Arrangements are currently being considered to collate data held on facilities used by GPs, dentists, pharmacists and opticians and integrate such premises into the wider estates strategies of NHS boards. A revaluation exercise is currently being undertaken for dental premises and a procurement exercise will be launched for GP premises in autumn 2009.

Housing

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-19801 by Stewart Maxwell on 27 January 2009, what level of funding shortfall it is aware of for home adaptations by housing associations, broken down by local authority area.

Alex Neil: The currently known level of shortfall for home adaptations by housing associations, broken down by local authority, is as follows:

  

a. Local Authority
a. Estimated Shortfall


a. Highland
a. £0.127 million


a. Orkney
a. £0.025 million


a. Argyll and Bute
a. £0.170 million


a. Dumfries and Galloway
a. £0.081 million


a. East Ayrshire
a. £0.028 million


a. East Renfrewshire
a. £0.012 million


a. Glasgow
a. £0.235 million


a. Inverclyde
a. £0.181 million


a. North Ayrshire
a. £0.132 million


a. North Lanarkshire
a. £0.450 million


a. Renfrewshire
a. £0.003 million


a. South Ayrshire
a. £0.016 million


a. South Lanarkshire
a. £0.179 million


a. Total
a. £1.639 million



  These figures differ from those stated in S3W-19801 as they have been updated to reflect the £0.500 million slippage from the Affordable Housing Investment Programme which has been reallocated to East Renfrewshire, Inverclyde and Renfrewshire.

  All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Housing

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-19802 by Stewart Maxwell on 27 January 2009, when it intends to announce the reallocation of funding to meet demand for home adaptations.

Alex Neil: Slippage of £0.500 million from elsewhere in the Affordable Housing Investment Programme has been identified and has been re-allocated to East Renfrewshire, Inverclyde and Renfrewshire councils to help meet demand for home adaptations.

  We will continue to review opportunities for reallocation of funds on a regular basis and will report outturn spend following the year end.

Housing

Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Housing Supply Task Force last met.

Alex Neil: The Housing Supply Task Force last met on Tuesday 16 December 2008.

Housing

Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive on what date the Housing Supply Task Force is next scheduled to meet.

Alex Neil: Ministers are currently reviewing the membership and remit of the task force.

  An announcement on this, and the date of the task force’s next meeting, will be made shortly.

Justice

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the publication of Gangs: You and Your Child by the Home Office in September 2008, whether the Scottish Government plans to produce a similar publication.

Fergus Ewing: As part of the CIRV (Community Initiative to Reduce Violence) project – our groundbreaking anti-gangs initiative that is working with over 700 young men in Glasgow – a range of materials are being produced for parents which will help them support their child leaving the gang and prevent any other children joining a gang. This includes a document similar to Gangs: You and Your Child . In addition, we are currently considering what further support we can offer parents and carers to prevent their child joining a gang or carrying a knife and are working closely with the Violence Reduction Unit and other partners to take forward this important issue.

Justice

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-19678 by Kenny MacAskill on 22 January 2009, whether it considers it to be of concern that information on the number and type of offences carried out by people on bail is not available.

Kenny MacAskill: Information covering offences committed while the offender was on bail and other bail-related offences is available and published annually under the title Criminal Proceedings in Scottish Courts . This can be found on the Scottish Government website at the following address http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/06/02124526/24 .

Justice

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-19678 by Kenny MacAskill on 22 January 2009, whether it considers that, in order to better address reoffending, it would be beneficial to know the type of offences being carried out by people on bail.

Kenny MacAskill: Yes. That is why information covering offences committed by people on bail is collated and published annually under the title Criminal Proceedings in Scottish Courts . This can be found on the Scottish Government website at the following address:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/06/02124526/24.

Justice

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-19678 by Kenny MacAskill on 22 January 2009, whether it intends to collate further information on the number and type of offences carried out by people on bail.

Kenny MacAskill: Information covering offences committed by people on bail and other bail-related offences is published annually under the title Criminal Proceedings in Scottish Courts . This can be found on the Scottish Government website at the following address:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/06/02124526/24.

  We have no plans to collate any further information.

Justice

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-19678 by Kenny MacAskill on 22 January 2009, whether it is aware of any group of offenders that, while on bail, go on to reoffend and, if so, what action it is taking to reduce such instances of reoffending.

Kenny MacAskill: The police will take all necessary steps to prevent and deal with offending, including offending by people on bail. That is why our courts dealt with 29,000 offences committed while the offender was on bail and 7,500 other bail-related offences in 2006-07.

  Admitting a person to bail is a decision for the court. Since December 2007, the Criminal Proceedings etc. (Reform)(Scotland) Act 2007 requires the court to state its reasons whenever it grants or refuses bail. Furthermore, where a person is accused of a violent or sexual offence or a drug trafficking offence and has a previous conviction for same, bail will be granted only if there are exceptional circumstances justifying bail.

Justice

Gavin Brown (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were caught by police with (a) knives and (b) other offensive weapons in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority area.

Kenny MacAskill: The number of offensive weapon offences recorded by the eight police forces in Scotland in each of the last five years are shown in the following tables.

  Offences Involving an Offensive Weapon, by Local Authority Area, 2003-04

  

 
 2003-04


 Possession of an Offensive Weapon
 Restriction of Offensive Weapon
 Having in a Public Place an Article with a Blade or Point
 Total


 Aberdeen City
 218
 0
 110
 328


 Aberdeenshire
 114
 0
 30
 144


 Angus
 27
 0
 8
 35


 Argyll and Bute
 37
 0
 42
 79


 City of Edinburgh
 438
 1
 187
 626


 City of Glasgow
 1,721
 0
 1,612
 3,333


 Clackmannanshire
 73
 0
 6
 79


 Dumfries and Galloway
 121
 0
 38
 159


 Dundee City
 101
 0
 66
 167


 East Ayrshire
 119
 0
 58
 177


 East Dunbartonshire
 63
 0
 31
 94


 East Lothian
 47
 0
 20
 67


 East Renfrewshire
 43
 0
 40
 83


 Eilean Siar 
 8
 0
 4
 12


 Falkirk
 128
 0
 56
 184


 Fife
 52
 0
 183
 235


 Highland
 177
 0
 58
 235


 Inverclyde
 124
 0
 169
 293


 Midlothian
 68
 0
 17
 85


 Moray
 81
 0
 24
 105


 North Ayrshire
 161
 1
 113
 275


 North Lanarkshire
 350
 0
 187
 537


 Orkney Islands
 1
 0
 3
 4


 Perth and Kinross
 41
 0
 16
 57


 Renfrewshire
 204
 0
 186
 390


 Scottish Borders
 89
 0
 42
 131


 Shetland Islands
 3
 0
 1
 4


 South Ayrshire
 53
 1
 40
 94


 South Lanarkshire
 368
 1
 276
 645


 Stirling
 105
 0
 30
 135


 West Dunbartonshire
 199
 0
 119
 318


 West Lothian
 135
 0
 33
 168


 All Scotland
 5,469
 4
 3,805
 9,278



  Offences Involving an Offensive Weapon, by Local Authority Area, 2004-05

  

 
 2004-05


 Possession of an Offensive Weapon
 Restriction of Offensive Weapon
 Having in a Public Place an Article with a Blade or Point
 Total


 Aberdeen City
 216
 0
 113
 329


 Aberdeenshire
 134
 0
 48
 182


 Angus
 50
 0
 12
 62


 Argyll and Bute
 53
 0
 56
 109


 City of Edinburgh
 454
 0
 171
 625


 City of Glasgow
 1,583
 0
 1,601
 3,184


 Clackmannanshire
 71
 0
 12
 83


 Dumfries and Galloway
 102
 1
 14
 117


 Dundee City
 100
 0
 82
 182


 East Ayrshire
 146
 0
 72
 218


 East Dunbartonshire
 83
 0
 35
 118


 East Lothian
 38
 1
 13
 52


 East Renfrewshire
 58
 0
 65
 123


 Eilean Siar
 5
 0
 5
 10


 Falkirk
 138
 0
 65
 203


 Fife
 180
 0
 91
 271


 Highland
 192
 0
 60
 252


 Inverclyde
 143
 0
 165
 308


 Midlothian
 68
 0
 16
 84


 Moray
 94
 0
 10
 104


 North Ayrshire
 176
 0
 121
 297


 North Lanarkshire
 427
 0
 205
 632


 Orkney Islands
 1
 0
 3
 4


 Perth and Kinross
 73
 0
 42
 115


 Renfrewshire
 232
 0
 148
 380


 Scottish Borders
 90
 0
 25
 115


 Shetland Islands
 13
 0
 8
 21


 South Ayrshire
 83
 0
 24
 107


 South Lanarkshire
 361
 0
 280
 641


 Stirling
 88
 0
 35
 123


 West Dunbartonshire
 188
 0
 102
 290


 West Lothian
 154
 0
 50
 204


 All Scotland
 5,794
 2
 3,749
 9,545



  Offences Involving an Offensive Weapon, by Local Authority Area, 2005-06

  

 
 2005-06


 Possession of an Offensive Weapon
 Restriction of Offensive Weapon
 Having in a Public Place an Article with a Blade or Point
 Total


 Aberdeen City
 218
 0
 91
 309


 Aberdeenshire
 121
 0
 48
 169


 Angus
 60
 0
 14
 74


 Argyll and Bute
 46
 0
 57
 103


 City of Edinburgh
 494
 0
 254
 748


 City of Glasgow
 1,748
 0
 1,364
 3,112


 Clackmannanshire
 69
 0
 20
 89


 Dumfries and Galloway
 127
 0
 10
 137


 Dundee City
 110
 0
 76
 186


 East Ayrshire
 173
 0
 67
 240


 East Dunbartonshire
 88
 0
 41
 129


 East Lothian
 44
 0
 22
 66


 East Renfrewshire
 47
 0
 29
 76


 Eilean Siar
 15
 0
 4
 19


 Falkirk
 115
 0
 49
 164


 Fife
 197
 0
 76
 273


 Highland
 193
 2
 87
 282


 Inverclyde
 117
 0
 130
 247


 Midlothian
 85
 0
 21
 106


 Moray
 92
 0
 18
 110


 North Ayrshire
 216
 0
 129
 345


 North Lanarkshire
 430
 0
 239
 669


 Orkney Islands
 4
 0
 6
 10


 Perth and Kinross
 43
 0
 32
 75


 Renfrewshire
 237
 1
 163
 401


 Scottish Borders
 63
 0
 40
 103


 Shetland Islands
 14
 0
 5
 19


 South Ayrshire
 99
 0
 46
 145


 South Lanarkshire
 314
 0
 272
 586


 Stirling
 93
 0
 32
 125


 West Dunbartonshire
 182
 0
 142
 324


 West Lothian
 128
 0
 59
 187


 All Scotland
 5,982
 3
 3,643
 9,628



  Offences Involving an Offensive Weapon, by Local Authority Area, 2006-07

  

 
 2006-07


 Possession of an Offensive Weapon
 Restriction of Offensive Weapon
 Having in a Public Place an Article with a Blade or Point
 Total


 Aberdeen City
 218
 0
 113
 331


 Aberdeenshire
 118
 0
 52
 170


 Angus
 55
 0
 17
 72


 Argyll and Bute
 90
 0
 73
 163


 City of Edinburgh
 520
 0
 287
 807


 City of Glasgow
 1,696
 1
 1,323
 3,020


 Clackmannanshire
 89
 0
 49
 138


 Dumfries and Galloway
 98
 0
 61
 159


 Dundee City
 93
 0
 97
 190


 East Ayrshire
 131
 0
 86
 217


 East Dunbartonshire
 83
 0
 36
 119


 East Lothian
 108
 0
 31
 139


 East Renfrewshire
 53
 0
 43
 96


 Eilean Siar
 11
 0
 5
 16


 Falkirk
 113
 0
 109
 222


 Fife
 224
 0
 117
 341


 Highland
 281
 0
 79
 360


 Inverclyde
 134
 0
 103
 237


 Midlothian
 106
 0
 29
 135


 Moray
 74
 0
 30
 104


 North Ayrshire
 207
 0
 131
 338


 North Lanarkshire
 442
 0
 242
 684


 Orkney Islands
 4
 0
 6
 10


 Perth and Kinross
 56
 0
 28
 84


 Renfrewshire
 213
 0
 184
 397


 Scottish Borders
 82
 0
 38
 120


 Shetland Islands
 16
 0
 3
 19


 South Ayrshire
 140
 0
 43
 183


 South Lanarkshire
 325
 0
 264
 589


 Stirling
 107
 0
 32
 139


 West Dunbartonshire
 163
 0
 137
 300


 West Lothian
 139
 0
 72
 211


 All Scotland
 6,189
 1
 3,920
 10,110



  Offences Involving an Offensive Weapon, by Local Authority Area, 2007-08

  

 
 2007-08


 Possession of an Offensive Weapon
 Restriction of Offensive Weapon
 Having in a Public Place an Article with a Blade or Point
 Total


 Aberdeen City
 214
 1
 151
 366


 Aberdeenshire
 92
 0
 45
 137


 Angus
 40
 0
 31
 71


 Argyll and Bute
 64
 0
 66
 130


 City of Edinburgh
 462
 0
 261
 723


 City of Glasgow
 1,527
 0
 1,123
 2,650


 Clackmannanshire
 84
 0
 42
 126


 Dumfries and Galloway
 85
 0
 48
 133


 Dundee City
 88
 0
 91
 179


 East Ayrshire
 124
 0
 90
 214


 East Dunbartonshire
 66
 0
 46
 112


 East Lothian
 64
 0
 21
 85


 East Renfrewshire
 34
 0
 39
 73


 Eilean Siar
 9
 0
 4
 13


 Falkirk
 85
 0
 77
 162


 Fife
 202
 2
 110
 314


 Highland
 267
 0
 78
 345


 Inverclyde
 121
 0
 103
 224


 Midlothian
 71
 0
 25
 96


 Moray
 40
 0
 43
 83


 North Ayrshire
 214
 0
 123
 337


 North Lanarkshire
 437
 0
 240
 677


 Orkney Islands
 4
 0
 5
 9


 Perth and Kinross
 39
 0
 31
 70


 Renfrewshire
 152
 0
 166
 318


 Scottish Borders
 55
 0
 36
 91


 Shetland Islands
 7
 0
 3
 10


 South Ayrshire
 95
 0
 50
 145


 South Lanarkshire
 290
 0
 224
 514


 Stirling
 64
 0
 33
 97


 West Dunbartonshire
 175
 0
 119
 294


 West Lothian
 127
 0
 64
 191


 All Scotland
 5,398
 3
 3,588
 8,989

Justice

Gavin Brown (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of people caught with drugs by police represents (a) repeat and (b) first-time offenders in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority area.

Kenny MacAskill: Information on whether people caught with drugs by the police are repeat or first-time offenders is not held centrally.

Justice

Gavin Brown (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of people caught by police with (a) knives or (b) other offensive weapons represents (i) repeat and (ii) first-time offenders in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority area.

Kenny MacAskill: Information on whether people caught by the police with knives/other offensive weapons are repeat or first-time offenders is not held centrally.

Justice

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much it spent on bail supervision in 2007-08 and how much it has budgeted for 2008-09 and 2009-10.

Kenny MacAskill: In the 2007-08 financial year, grant funding of £1.23 million under section 27 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 was allocated to the Community Justice Authorities (CJAs) for bail information and supervision services. The annual accounts for 2007-08 for the CJAs record actual spend of £1.15 million on provision by local authorities of these services. The Scottish Government has allocated £1.74 million in the 2008-09 and 2009-10 financial years to CJAs for bail information and supervision services.

Justice

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much bail supervision costs per person per day.

Kenny MacAskill: Grant funding provided by the Scottish Government under section 27 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 covers delivery of both bail information and supervision services. Information specific to bail supervision is not held in the manner requested.

NHS Hospitals

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-20030 by Nicola Sturgeon on 3 February 2009, whether the proposal to remove the microbiology laboratory from the Vale of Leven Hospital to a central location will be subject to public consultation.

Nicola Sturgeon: In the first instance, this is a matter for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. It is right that the board consider options to maintain and develop modern, efficient and effective laboratory services in the best interests of patients, and that these options are subject to appropriate engagement with stakeholders.

  Any decision to close existing laboratory services at the Vale of Leven Hospital would ultimately be subject to my approval and I would have to be convinced by robust evidence that such a move was in the best interests of patients and local people.

NHS Procurement

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will introduce an annual analysis of NHS bodies’ asset strategies.

Nicola Sturgeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-20499 on 23 February 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx .

NHS Procurement

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take in light of the Audit Scotland report, Asset management in the NHS in Scotland , published on 29 January 2009.

Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government welcomes the publication of the Audit Scotland Report Asset Management in the NHS in Scotland and will respond positively to address the key messages and recommendations contained within the report.

NHS Procurement

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to encourage joint development of the public sector estate, as recommended in the Audit Scotland report, Asset Management in the NHS in Scotland .

Nicola Sturgeon: The "hub initiative" supported by the Scottish Government and delivered through the Scottish Futures Trust is aimed a supporting the more effective development and delivery of joint projects. The hub initiative is based on bringing together public sector partners to plan and procure community based premises. The Scottish Futures Trust are currently engaged with the "South East" and "North" territories to prepare them for procurement in summer 2009.

  Currently all business cases for community based premises submitted to the Scottish Government Health Directorates for approval are assessed to ensure that there has been appropriate engagement with other public sector partners prior to approval.

  The national estate management system for NHSScotland currently in procurement has been specified to ensure that data can be extracted and linked to data held by local authorities.

NHS Procurement

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to ensure that NHS bodies hold all information on their assets electronically.

Nicola Sturgeon: A national computer system to support estate management across NHSScotland is currently in procurement and will support both the standardisation of data held on the NHSScotland estate. The dataset for the new system has already been established.

NHS Procurement

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to integrate equality and diversity issues more fully into NHS estate management practices.

Nicola Sturgeon: Since 2005 NHS boards have been required to equality impact assess all new and revised policies or functions, which was communicated via a Health Department Letter (2005) 09.

NHS Procurement

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when NHS Dumfries and Galloway, NHS Highland, NHS Lanarkshire, NHS Shetland and NHS Western Isleswill have a strategy in place for addressing backlog maintenance.

Nicola Sturgeon: All NHS boards will require to have a strategy identified to address backlog maintenance (whether by maintenance or replacement) by the end of 2009. Following the implementation of the new Asset Management Policy all NHS boards will require to have annually updated asset strategies which include plans and approaches for tackling outstanding backlog maintenance.

NHS Properties

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to ensure that NHS bodies improve sustainability in the NHS estate.

Nicola Sturgeon: From 1 April 2009 NHS boards have a specific HEAT target to reduce energy consumption by 2% per annum (climatically adjusted). An additional £15 million of capital resources have been identified over three years to support carbon reduction measures within NHS boards

  The Scottish Government will also require all NHSScotland bodies to apply the BREEAM Healthcare sustainability assessment tool to new capital investment and require an excellent rating for all new health facilities.

NHS Properties

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to ensure that NHS bodies are budgeting to meet the costs of planned estate maintenance that is carried out at required intervals over the life of the asset.

Nicola Sturgeon: NHSScotland bodies require to demonstrate that they have the necessary capital and revenue resources within their financial plans when making investment in their assets to cover not just the initial investment but the on-going operation and maintenance of such assets. Economic appraisals are undertaken for such decisions which incorporate lifecycle costs in accordance with the requirements of the Scottish Capital Investment Manual and HM Treasury "Green Book" guidance.

  Under the terms of the revised asset management policy NHSScotland bodies will be required to set out their planned maintenance programmes to demonstrate that they are satisfactorily maintaining their estate or, where this is not appropriate, replacing or disinvesting inappropriate estate.

NHS Staff

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when all NHS bodies will have trained their estate staff in equality and diversity.

Nicola Sturgeon: NHS Education for Scotland have responsibility for the delivery of an educational framework on equality and diversity for the NHSScotland workforce. The Equality and Planning Directorate at NHS Health Scotland host a network of Equality and Diversity lead officers from across NHSScotland, who support this work across their organisations.

NHS Staff

Jackson Carlaw (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many days were lost in the NHS through sickness absence in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board.

Nicola Sturgeon: Information on sickness absence rates is based on hours lost at a national level and is available from 2001 onwards. NHS board level information is available from 2005 onwards:

  http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/servlet/FileBuffer?namedFile=Sickness%20Absence.xls&pContentDispositionType=inline.

  Sickness absence information is based on hours lost to take account of part-time workers whose standard day is different to a whole-time worker’s standard day.

  Sickness absence is a complex issue and it is difficult to identify cause and effect, which impacts on where best to target interventions. Much work has been done at the national level, including publishing a Health at Work PIN (Partnership Information Network) guideline. A specialist group (The Promoting Attendance and Managing Sickness Absence Group) has also been established at national level with membership from NHS management, trade unions and the Scottish Government and has within its remit responsibility to identify, disseminate and promote good practice. All Boards have agreed to a target of 4% by March 2009 (with the exception of the Scottish Ambulance Service and NHS 24, whose targets are 5% and 6% respectively). Each board has a sickness absence policy in place and the sickness absence targets have been integrated into objectives for individuals and operational units.

Non-Departmental Public Bodies

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-19510 by John Swinney on 19 January 2009, what criteria are considered when deciding whether to admit to the civil service pension arrangements the chair of a non-departmental public body (NDPB) or government agency who performs an executive function; who or what body is responsible for making that decision, and how many chairs of NDPBs or government agencies in which the Scottish Government has a direct or indirect interest have been admitted to the civil service pension arrangements in the last 10 years.

John Swinney: Matters relating to the Civil Service pension arrangements are reserved and responsibility for decisions on admission to the scheme lies with Cabinet Office.

  In reaching a view on whether to support the admission of a chair of a non-departmental public body (NDPB) or Government agency to the Civil Service pension arrangements, the Scottish Government must comply with HM Treasury guidance. This guidance provides that chairs can only be offered admittance to the Civil Service pension arrangement where they are already a member of the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme or where they have the title of chair but their remit is similar to that of a Chief Executive or Executive Director.

  Where the Scottish Government considers that there is a strong case to allow an NDPB/Agency Chair access to Civil Service pensions arrangements, the matter is referred to Cabinet Office for a final decision. In reaching a decision, the Cabinet Office takes account of certain criteria that includes whether the individual’s remuneration is paid directly from central government funds, that they are likely to remain in post for at least two years (the minimal qualifying period for a pension) and that the person will be performing an executive function.

  Our current records indicate that one chair of an NDPB was admitted into the Civil Service pension arrangements in the last 10 years.

Prescription and Limitation (Scotland) Act 1973

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to review the operation of sections 17 and 19A of the Prescription and Limitation (Scotland) Act 1973.

Fergus Ewing: Yes. Several reports from the Scottish Law Commission are currently under review, including a report on Personal Injury Actions: Limitation and Prescribed Claims . This report covers "the operation of sections 17(2)(b), 18(2)(b) and 19A of the Prescription and Limitation (Scotland) Act 1973", in accordance with one of the references made to the Commission by the previous administration.

  The discussion papers and reports of the commission are available on its website, http://www.scotlawcom.gov.uk.

Prison Service

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much it costs per day to hold a person on remand.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  The SPS does not record the costs broken down between Remand and Convicted prisoner numbers.

  The annual average cost of a prisoner place is in the SPS Annual Report and Accounts for 2007-08, copies of which are available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 45921), or via the Scottish Prison Service website http://www.sps.gov.uk/. This informs that the cost per prisoner place, calculated on a resource accounting basis (including capital charges), in 2007-08 was £41,470.

Prison Service

Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many prisoners in HMP Aberdeen come from (a) Aberdeen city, (b) Aberdeenshire, (c) Moray, (d) elsewhere in Scotland and (e) elsewhere in the United Kingdom.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The following table illustrates the distribution of prisoners in Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Moray, Other Scotland, and Other UK. The data is as of 10:15, 20 February 2009.

  

 Area
 Total


 Aberdeen City
 133


 Aberdeenshire
 57


 Moray
 4


 Other Scotland
 12


 Other UK
 15


 Total
 221



  Note: Prisoners who are recorded as No Fixed Abode are given the AB1 postal area.

Prison Service

Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many prisoners in HMP Aberdeen come from an address with an AB postcode.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond.

  His response is as follows:

  As of 13:30 on 20 February 2009 there were 155 prisoners within HM Prison Aberdeen who had an AB postcode from a total population of 221.

Prison Service

Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many prisoners from Aberdeen city are held in (a) HMP Aberdeen, (b) HMP Peterhead, (c) another prison in Scotland for adult males, (d) HMP and YOI Cornton Vale and (e) YOI Polmont.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The following table illustrates the distribution of prisoners in custody whose postcode area lies within Aberdeen City. The data is as of 10:30 on 20 February 2009.

  

 Establishment
 Total


 Aberdeen
 126


 Barlinnie
 5


 Cornton Vale
 23


 Edinburgh
 9


 Glenochil Prison
 49


 Greenock
 5


 Inverness
 7


 Open Estate
 9


 Perth
 50


 Peterhead
 12


 Polmont
 27


 Shotts
 13

Prison Service

Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many prisoners from Moray are held in (a) HMP Aberdeen, (b) HMP Peterhead, (c) another prison in Scotland for adult males, (d) HMP and YOI Cornton Vale and (e) YOI Polmont.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The following table illustrates the distributions of prisoners from Moray in the prisons requested. The data is as at 07:40 on 19 February 2009.

  

 Establishment
 Total


 Aberdeen
 4


 Barlinnie
 5


 Cornton Vale
 8


 Dumfries
 2


 Edinburgh
 1


 Glenochil
 6


 Inverness
 20


 Open Estate
 4


 Perth
 10


 Peterhead
 5


 Polmont
 4


 Shotts
 1

Prison Service

Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many prisoners with an AB postcode are held in (a) HMP Aberdeen, (b) HMP Peterhead, (c) another prison in Scotland for adult males, (d) HMP and YOI Cornton Vale and (e) YOI Polmont.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The following table illustrates the distribution of prisoners in custody with an AB postcode. The data is as of 11:30 on 20 February 2009.

  

 Establishment
 Total


 Aberdeen
 159


 Barlinnie
 6


 Cornton Vale
 33


 Dumfries
 4


 Edinburgh
 12


 Glenochil Prison
 58


 Greenock
 6


 Inverness
 13


 Open Estate
 17


 Perth
 70


 Polmont
 31


 Peterhead
 19


 Shotts
 16

Public Services

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-19517 by John Swinney on 19 January 2009, when it expects to publish its composite response to all the action groups, including the Accountability and Governance Action Group.

John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-19517 on 19 January 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx .

  I expect to publish a composite response to all five of the action groups, including the Accountability and Governance Action Group, shortly.

Roads

Iain Gray (East Lothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S3W-20202 and S3W-20203 by Stewart Stevenson on 9 February 2009, what plans it has to improve safety on the A1 trunk road between Edinburgh and the border with England.

Stewart Stevenson: To improve safety on the trunk road network Transport Scotland undertakes an annual review of its accident database to determine accident cluster sites or lengths of road which have recorded a high rate of accidents. Following the latest annual review Transport Scotland is planning to take forward a number of Accident Investigation and Prevention studies on the A1 in 2009. The locations to be investigated are:

  Haddington Interchange

  Dolphingstone

  Thistly Cross Roundabout

  Reston/Coldingham Junction.

  In addition, safety studies are underway into the incidence of high wind accidents in the vicinity of Torness and the localised icing problems near Houndwood. Signing improvements are programmed for Burnmouth and a programme of safety barrier improvements is currently underway to reduce the risk from off-road accidents.

  Measures to improve the road safety and route management of the A1 are also included in the Strategic Transport Projects Review which was announced to Parliament on 10 December 2008.

Transport

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many jobs are likely to be created or secured as a result of Strategic Transport Projects Review projects in 2009.

Stewart Stevenson: Recent investment by Transport Scotland across road and rail - either in long term maintenance or specific infrastructure construction - has supported nearly 13,000 jobs and over £2.5 billion will be invested in Scotland’s strategic transport network over the next three years, supporting the economy through the efficient movement of goods and people.

  The Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR) has recommended 29 nationally strategic transport schemes over the next 20 years that will let us plan for the delivery of an efficient, integrated transport network fit for the 21st century.

  A significant number of jobs will therefore be created or secured in delivering these schemes. These will include employing people to take forward the detailed design and development work associated with each scheme and then undertake the necessary construction work to complete each scheme.

Young Offenders

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many children under 16 have been detained in a young offenders institution or adult prison in each of the last 24 months.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The following table illustrates the number of occasions children aged under 16 were admitted to SPS in each of the last 24 months.

  

 Month
 2007
 2008
 2009


 January
 1
 0
 0


 February
 1
 1
 0


 March
 1
 4
 


 April
 4
 5
 


 May
 1
 3
 


 June
 0
 2
 


 July
 1
 3
 


 August
 3
 0
 


 September
 3
 0
 


 October
 0
 2
 


 November
 1
 0
 


 December
 0
 0